The present invention relates to various new uses of native gellan gum which are based on its inherent characteristics.
Being a macromolecular polysaccharide elaborated by microorganisms in culture, gellan gum is a current focus of interest and much research has already been undertaken into its physical properties, gel characteristics and potential applications (Food Chemical, Supplement to December 1986 issue, pp. 61-68; New Food Industry, 1996, Vol., 38, 11, pp. 21-31; Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No.88051/1984). Gellan gum is derived from the mucilagenous secretions of Pseudomonas elodea (ATCC31461) and includes the deacetyl-gum which is obtainable by heating said mucilagenous secretions under weakly alkaline conditions for deacetylation and the pure deacetyl-gum which is available on further purification of said deacetyl-gum (Food Chemical 1986, Supplement to December 1986 issue, pp. 61-62).
The gels formed from this gellan gum are not only satisfactory in heat resistance, acid resistance and enzyme resistance but well amenable to the modification of gel strength by controlling the cation concentration to thereby provide various textures. For those reasons, gellan gum has been regarded as an important food material, particularly in food industry and culinary practice, and has been used in Japan since 1988 and in the United States of America since 1990.
On the other hand, native gellan gum which is a distinct grade of gellan gum, i.e. the crude acetyl-gum just elaborated by microorganisms, has attracted little attention and studies on this native product are trailing behind.
The inventors of the present invention scrutinized this native gellan gum, which is said distinct grade of gellan gum, and energetically exploring into its physical properties, gel characteristics, etc. for some time, found that native gellan gum is fundamentally different from the hitherto-known gelling agents and said gellan gum. The inventors further confirmed that multifunctional gel compositions can be formulated with it and the production processes for end products can be simplified by exploiting those unique characteristics of native gellan gum and that native gellan gum is useful as an additive by which new functions which could not be implemented in the past can be imparted to food and other end products. The present invention has been developed on the basis of the above findings.
The present invention, therefore, is directed to multifunctional compositions comprising native gellan gum (hereinafter referred to simply as functional compositions).
More particularly, the present invention is directed to said functional compositions which are gel compositions having the following various unique characteristics and to uses for the compositions.
(1) A freeze-thaw resistant gel composition
(2) Dehydrated gels and jellies prepared therefrom
(3) Rice cake-like gels and substitute foods for rice cakes
(4) Copy foods
(5) Cold retention compositions and cold-retaining agents
The present invention is further directed to said functional compositions for use as an additive which expresses the following unique functions based-on the inherent characteristics of native gellan gum and to uses of said additives.
(6) A dispersion stabilizer
(7) A thickened composition additive
(8) A heat resistance-imparting agent:
(9) A syneresis inhibitor
(10) A foam stabilizer
(11) A food palatability and body-improving agent